Online Etymology Dictionary

annoy (v.): late 13c., from Anglo-French anuier, Old French enoiier, anuier "to weary, vex, anger; be troublesome or irksome to," from Late Latin inodiare "make loathsome," from Latin (esse) in odio "(it is to me) hateful," ablative of odium "hatred" (see odium). Earliest form of the word in English was as a noun, c. 1200, "feeling of irritation, displeasure, distaste." Related: Annoyed; annoying; annoyingly. Middle English also had annoyful and annoyous (both late 14c.).
annoyance (n.): late 14c., "act of annoying," from Old French enoiance "ill-humor, irritation," from anuiant, present participle of anuier "to be troublesome, annoy, harass" (see annoy). Meaning "state of being annoyed" is from c. 1500. Earlier, annoying was used in the sense of "act of offending" (c. 1300), and a noun annoy (c. 1200) in a sense "feeling of irritation, displeasure, distaste."
annoyed (adj.): "vexed, peeved, offended," late 13c., past participle adjective from annoy (v.).
annual (adj.): late 14c., from Old French annuel (12c.) or directly from Late Latin annualem (nominative annualis), corresponding to Latin annalis as adjective form of annus "year," from PIE *at-no-, from root *at- "to go," on notion of "period gone through" (source also of Sanskrit atati "goes, wanders," Gothic aþnam (dative plural) "year," Oscan akno- "year, holiday, time of offering"). Used of plants since 1710.
annual (n.): c. 1400, originally "service commemorating the anniversary of a person's death," from annual (adj.). By 1824 as short for annual plant.
annualize (v.): in economics and finance, 1904; see annual + -ize. Related: Annualized; annualizing.
annually (adv.): 1590s, from annual (adj.) + -ly (2).
Annuit Coeptis: on the Great Seal of the United States of America, condensed by Charles Thompson, designer of the seal in its final form, from Latin Juppiter omnipotes, audacibus annue coeptis "All-powerful Jupiter favor (my) daring undertakings," line 625 of book IX of Virgil's "Aeneid." The words also appear in Virgil's "Georgics," book I, line 40: Da facilem cursam, atque audacibus annue coeptis "Give (me) an easy course, and favor (my) daring undertakings." Thompson changed the imperative annue to annuit, the third person singular form of the same verb in either the present tense or the perfect tense. The motto also lacks a subject.

The motto is often translated as "He (God) is favorable to our undertakings," but this is not the only possible translation. Thomson wrote: "The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration: The Eye over it & Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause." The original design (by William Barton) showed the pyramid and the motto Deo Favente Perennis "God favoring through the years."
annuity (n.): early 15c., "a yearly allowance, grant payable in annual installments," from Anglo-French and Old French annuité (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin annuitatem (nominative annuitas), from Latin annus "year" (see annual (adj.)). Meaning "an investment that entitles one to equal annual payments" is from 1690s.
annul (v.): late 14c., from Old French anuller (13c.) or directly from Late Latin annullare "to make to nothing," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + nullum, neuter of nullus "nothing" (see null). Related: Annulled; annulling.
annular (adj.): "ring-shaped," 1570s, from French annulaire (16c.) or directly from Latin annularis "pertaining to a ring," from annulus, diminutive of anus "ring" (see anus). An annular eclipse (1727) is one in which the dark body of the moon is smaller than the disk of the sun, so that at the height of it the sun appears as a ring of light. Related: Annularity.
annulment (n.): late 15c., "act of reducing to nothing;" see annul + -ment. Meaning "act of declaring invalid" is recorded from 1864.
annulus (n.): 1560s, medical, from misspelling of Latin anulus "little ring, finger ring," a diminutive of anus (see anus).
annunciate (v.): 1530s, from past participle adjective annunciate (late 14c.) or directly from Latin annunciatus, misspelling of annuntiatus, past participle of annuntiare (see announce). In some cases perhaps a back-formation from annunciation. Related: Annunciated; annunciating.
annunciation (n.): early 14c., "Lady Day," from Anglo-French anunciacioun, Old French anonciacion, from Latin annuntiationem (nominative annuntiatio), noun of action from past participle stem of annuntiare (see announce). The Church festival (March 25) commemorating the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, foretelling the incarnation. General sense of "an announcing" is from 1560s. Old English for "Annunciation Day" was bodungdæg.
annus mirabilis (n.): 1667, Latin, literally "wonderful year, year of wonders," title of a publication by Dryden, with reference to 1666, which was a year of calamities in London (plague, fire, war).
anode (n.): 1834, coined from Greek anodos "way up," from ana "up" (see ana-) + hodos "way" (see cede). Proposed by the Rev. William Whewell (1794-1866), English polymath, and published by English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867). So called from the path the electrical current was thought to take. Related: Anodic.
anodize (v.): 1931, from anode + -ize. Related: Anodized; anodizing.
anodyne (adj.): 1540s, from Medieval Latin anodynus "pain-removing, allaying pain," from Latin anodynus "painless," from Greek anodynos "free from pain," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + odyne "pain," a word perhaps from PIE root *ed- "to eat" (source of Lithuanian edžioti "to devour, bite," edžiotis "to suffer pain;" see eat). In old slang, frequently a euphemism for "death;" as in anodyne necklace "hangman's noose."
anoint (v.): c. 1300 (implied in anointing), from Old French enoint "smeared on," past participle of enoindre "smear on," from Latin inunguere "to anoint," from in- "on" + unguere "to smear" (see unguent). Originally in reference to grease or oil smeared on for medicinal purposes; its use in the Coverdale Bible in reference to Christ (as in The Lord's Anointed; see chrism) has spiritualized the word. Related: Anointed; anointing.
anointed (adj.): late 14c., "smeared with oil," past participle adjective from anoint (v.). Noun meaning "a consecrated one" (as in Lord's Anointed) is recorded from 1520s.
anole (n.): or anoli, 1906, from a native name in the Antilles.
anomalo-: word-forming element meaning "deviating from the usual, abnormal," from comb. form of Greek anomalos "uneven, irregular" (see anomaly).
anomalous (adj.): 1640s, from Late Latin anomalus, from Greek anomalos "uneven, irregular" (see anomaly). Related: Anomalously; anomalousness.
anomaly (n.): 1570s, from Latin anomalia, from Greek anomalia "inequality," noun of quality from anomalos "uneven, irregular," from an-, privative prefix, "not" (see an- (1)) + homalos "even," from homos "same" (see same).
anomic (adj.): 1950, from French anomique (Durkheim, 1897); see anomie.
anomie (n.): "absence of accepted social values," 1933, from Durkheim's "Suicide" (1897); a reborrowing with French spelling of anomy.
anomy (n.): "lawlessness," 1590s, Englished from French anomie; from Greek anomia "lawlessness," noun of quality from anomos "without law, lawless," from a-, privative prefix, "without" (see an- (1)) + nomos "law" (see numismatic).
anon (adv.): late Old English anon, earlier on an, literally "into one," thus "continuously; straightway (in one course), at once;" see one. By gradual misuse, "soon, in a little while" (1520s). A one-word etymological lesson in the enduring power of procrastination.
anonym (n.): 1812, "nameless person," from French anonyme, from Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymos "without a name" (see anonymous). Meaning "fictitious name" is recorded from 1866.
anonymity (n.): 1820; see anonym + -ity. In same sense anonymousness is recorded from 1802.
anonymous (adj.): c. 1600, from Late Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymos "without a name," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + onyma, Æolic dialectal form of onoma "name" (see name (n.)).
anonymously (adv.): 1728, from anonymous + -ly (2).
Anopheles (n.): genus of mosquitoes, Modern Latin, coined 1818 by German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen (1764-1845) from Greek anopheles "useless, hurtful, harmful," from an-, privative prefix, (see an- (1)) + ophelos "use, help, advantage" (see Ophelia). So called because it conveys malaria.
anorak (n.): Eskimo's waterproof, hooded jacket, 1924, from Greenland Eskimo anoraq. Applied to Western imitations of this garment from 1930s. In British slang, "socially inept person" (Partridge associates it with a fondness for left-wing politics and pirate radio) by 1983, on the notion that that sort of person typically wears this sort of coat.
anorectic (adj.): "characterized by lack of appetite," 1832, medical Latin, from Greek anorektos "without appetite" (see anorexia). As a noun, attested from 1913.
anorexia (n.): 1590s, "lack of appetite," Modern Latin, from Greek anorexia, from an-, privative prefix, "without" (see an- (1)) + orexis "appetite, desire," from oregein "to desire, stretch out" (cognate with Latin regere "to keep straight, guide, rule;" see regal) + abstract noun ending -ia. In current use, often short for anorexia nervosa.
anorexia nervosa (n.): "emaciation as a result of severe emotional disturbance," coined 1873 by William W. Gull (1816-1890), who also proposed apepsia hysterica as a name for it. See anorexia.
anorexic (adj.): 1876; see anorexia + -ic. The immediate source or model is perhaps French anorexique. As a noun meaning "person with anorexia nervosa" it is attested from 1913.
anosmia (n.): "loss of sense of smell," 1811, Modern Latin, from Greek an-, privative prefix (see an- (1)), + osme "smell" (Doric odme), from *odsme, cognate with Latin odor (see odor) + abstract noun ending -ia.
another (adj.): early 13c., merger of an other. Old English used simply oþer. Originally "a second of two." Compound reciprocal pronoun one another is recorded from 1520s.
anoxic (adj.): 1920, Modern Latin, from Greek an-, privative prefix, "not, without" (see an- (1)) + first two letters of oxygen + -ic. Anoxia "oxygen deficiency" is attested from 1931.
Anschauung (n.): "sense-perception," c. 1856, from German Anschauung "mode of view," literally "looking at," from anschauen "to look at," from Middle High German aneschouwen (related to show (v.)). A term in Kantian philosophy.
anschluss (n.): 1924, from German Anschluß, "connection; addition; junction," literally "joining, union," from anschließen "to join, annex," from an "at, to, toward" + schließen "to shut, close, lock, bolt; contract" (a marriage); see slot (n.2). Specifically the proposal to unite Germany and Austria, accomplished in 1938.
Anselm: masc. proper name, from Latin Anselmus, from Old High German Ansehelm, literally "having a divine helmet," from ansi "god" (see Aesir) + helm (see helm (n.2)).
answer (n.): Old English andswaru "an answer, a reply," from and- "against" (see ante) + -swaru "affirmation," from swerian "to swear" (see swear), suggesting an original sense of "make a sworn statement rebutting a charge." A common Germanic compound (cognates: Old Saxon antswor, Old Norse andsvar, Old Frisian ondser, Danish and Swedish ansvar), implying a Proto-Germanic *andswara-. Meaning "a reply to a question," the main modern sense, was present in Old English. Meaning "solution of a problem" is from c. 1300.
answer (v.): Old English answarian "to answer;" see answer (n.). Meaning "to respond in antiphony" is from early 15c.; that of "to be responsible for" is early 13c. Related: Answered; answering. The telephone answering machine is from 1961.
answerable (adj.): "liable to be held responsible," 1540s, from answer (v.) + -able. Less-common meaning "able to be answered" is from 1690s.
ant (n.): c. 1500, from Middle English ampte (late 14c.), from Old English æmette "ant," from West Germanic *amaitjo (source also of Old High German ameiza, German Ameise) from a compound of bases *ai- "off, away" + *mai- "cut," from PIE *mai- "to cut" (source also of maim). Thus the insect's name is, etymologically, "the biter off."
As þycke as ameten crepeþ in an amete hulle [chronicle of Robert of Gloucester, 1297]
Emmet survived into 20c. as an alternative form. White ant "termite" is from 1729. To have ants in one's pants "be nervous and fidgety" is from 1934, made current by a popular song; antsy embodies the same notion.
antacid: 1732, adjective and noun, medical hybrid from anti- + acid.